Chrysanthemums, most commonly referred to simply as mums, can generally be divided into two groups: garden mums, which are perennial, and potted mums, which may last for a few weeks to a month. Due to mums' wide array of colors and hardy nature,...
Organic gardening strives to use natural alternatives to traditional chemical pesticides in crop production. This includes the growing of tree fruits, including peaches, cherries and other stone fruits, citrus, apples, and pears. Many of these...
Since it first appeared on the market in 1961, fans of Avon's Skin So Soft bath oil have touted its versatility. Avon still sells the bath oil, as well as variations such as shower gel and moisturizing lotion. You can buy the original bath oil in...
Lawn chemicals are both a blessing and a curse. While they can help improve the quality of your lawn, there are also environmental risks to using them. When choosing to apply lawn chemicals, weigh the pros and cons of their use. Lawn chemicals can...
Thousands of types of chemicals and synthetic ingredients can be found in foods and consumer goods. Many people are concerned about the use of such synthetic ingredients and look for organic alternatives, which are made without chemicals.
Herb gardeners cultivate plants to prevent and treat illnesses and injuries. Many plants classified as weeds belong in an herb garden. Plants such as jewel weed and butterfly weed, purple loose-strife, wild ginger, yarrow, chicory and mullein can...
The neem tree (Azadirachta indica), which grows in India and surrounding areas, has been called "Arishtha" Sanskrit for "reliever of sickness." Virtually every part of the tree is beneficial for healing and has been used medicinally for over 2000...
Companion planting with broccoli plants enables you to reap greater yields of the nutritious crop while also reducing or eliminating the need for chemical pesticides or fertilizers. This benefit becomes especially important with the multiseason...
GMO foods are genetically modified organisms that have had new genes from other organisms added to their existing genes, according to Brown University. The university says the goal of such genetic engineering is to give the original organism new...
For many people, the term Genetically Modified Organism, or GMO, conjures up images of alien plants taking over entire cities. That, however, is not the case. GMOs are already integrated into our lives and provide significant benefits to farmers...
Use of organic fertilizers offers a safer alternative to synthetic options. Their use is tied with the rise in organic farming. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are over 14,000 organic farms and ranches in the United States....
Home gardening is gaining popularity in the United States, where renewed interest in self-sufficiency and green living has become widespread. Backyard fruit and vegetable gardens are part of a larger shift toward ecological consciousness and...
Stevia is a leafy, perennial plant from South America, cultivated globally as a food and beverage sweetener. The processed sweetener from the plant is up to 400 times sweeter than table sugar. Changes in 2009 from the U.S. Food and Drug...
Mullein is a plant found throughout the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Like many wild plants, it has a long history of medicinal and culinary use. You will find mullein at health food stores as a fluid extract,...
Oregano, or Origanum vulgare, is a low-growing herbaceous plant with aromatic leaves, often used for flavoring dishes. Though best known for its characteristic use on pizzas, oregano is also used in various traditions of herbal medicine, and it...
Nematodes are small worms found in water, soil, plants and animals, and there are roughly 10,000 known species throughout the world. While some nematodes are free-living, others are parasitic and need other organisms (called hosts) to keep...
Genetically modified organisms, GMOs, are designed to combine favorable genetic traits not usually found together in nature into a single, superior organism. GMO corn of various types has been bioengineered to include genes borrowed from other...
Neem oil is made from the seeds of the neem tree, known scientifically as Azadirachta indica. According to James Duke, Ph.D., the active chemicals in neem seed oil are azadirachtin, nimbidin, salannin, azadiradione, azadirone, gedunin, meldenin...
If you're like most consumers, you probably assume that organic foods are generally healthier and safer than foods grown through traditional agricultural processes. Alas, "organic does not equal safe,'" reports the "Nutrition Research Reviews"...
Muscadine wines supply polyphenols -- antioxidants produced naturally by these hardy grapes to ward off insect pests, fungus, sun damage and diseases. Resveratrol levels in muscadine wines gained interest due to preliminary research indicating...
Plant geneticists developed Bt corn to resist attacks by the European corn borer. This moth's larvae feed on maturing ears of corn, protected from insecticide sprays by the corn husks. Bt corn could kill 99 percent of the first generation of corn...
We share our world with thousands of varieties of insects, but we don't necessarily want to share our food with them. Thus farmers use pesticides to both keep crops from being devoured and bugs from showing up in the fruits and vegetables we pick...
From plagues of grasshoppers to sap-sucking aphids to hungry deer and rabbits browsing through your vegetables, pests can wreak havoc on your garden. While chemical deterrents can drive off the pests, they may also leave behind chemical residue...
Many commercial pesticides designed for indoor use may not be the safest choice if you have a small baby crawling or walking around. Even older children like to investigate corners and cabinet shelves where ants prefer to dwell. Ants will go where...
Soil pollution, or soil contamination, is the accumulation of man-made toxic substances in soil that has a negative effect of plant and animal life. Common pollutants include herbicides and pesticides; litter and waste. Soil pollution is usually...
Neem oil has been used for centuries as a natural pesticide. It is beneficial to agriculture because the oil poses no threat to humans while effectively repelling bugs that can consume and harm plants. Neem oil was also later discovered to work...
If you have pets, chances are you have experienced a flea outbreak. Fleas persist outdoors during the spring, summer and early fall. Indoors, fleas can survive year-round, as long as there is a blood host. Flea bites can lead to dermatitis, skin...
Ants are the ultimate party crashers. They show up uninvited and wreak havoc on anybody and everything that comes into contact with them. Though there are a variety of chemical-laden products that will eliminate these pests in minimal time, they...
Foods labeled organic provide shoppers with an alternative to traditionally grown products that have a higher percentage of pesticides and other residual toxins. An organic label indicates that a product was grown without antibiotics or growth...
